Shortly after Dustin Johnson’s management team announced that he would be taking a indefinite leave of absence, the rumor pipe sprung several leaks releasing controversial stories of DJ’s troubled history.
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Dustin johnson & Paulina Gretzky Gallery
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According to Golf.com, Johnson has been suspended 6 months by the PGA Tour after failing a supposed third drug test. Based on the report he tested positive again for cocaine. Dustin Johnson has not release any further statements regarding this recent announcement.
***Update – “With regard to media reports that Dustin Johnson has been been suspended by the PGA TOUR, this is to clarify that Mr. Johnson has taken a voluntary leave of absence and is not under a suspension from the PGA TOUR” – PGA Tour Press Release, Aug 1, 2014
In this report, it states that he had two previous violations, one in 2009 (marijuana) and one in 2012 (cocaine). The PGA Tour has released this statement making it very clear that Johnson was taking a voluntary leave of absence and he had not been suspended. As noted by the Golf Channel, the PGA Tour does have a policy in place which they will not report any violations of recreational drug use by players. If you might remember, in 2012 DJ missed 11 weeks of the PGA Season because of an apparent back injury.
Who did Dustin Johnson have an affair with?
However, it was also rumored that he had suspended by the PGA Tour because of drugs. To add the icing on the cake, this new report by Golf.com also revealed that DJ had an affair with at least one PGA Tour Player’s wife. It was rumored to be the wife of Will Mackenzie, Allie Mackenzie, but she denied it really quickly after twitter went crazy.
Sadly this isn’t the only rumor that has come out regarding DJ. Reports by the Huffington Post this morning paint a very checkered past. This includes being involved in “gang” related crimes as a teenager. Most notably, Johnson was “bullied” into buying bullets for a gun which was involved in a murder.
Dustin Johnson DUI
And now people are bringing up again this video of DJ failing a sobriety test in Myrtle beach from 2011 as well:
Will the PGA experience another Tiger-like saga?
Personally, I don’t think it’s up to any outlet to “report” any sort of information without hearing it from the actual party. If Dustin did do anything, it would be smart of him to come forward first and get it all out there now. Look what happened with Tiger. His car accident happened in November of 2009, but Tiger did not say anything publicly until February of 2010. And in those two months, the floodgates opened and we all learned more about Tiger than we all probably wanted to hear.
As much as I give credit to Dustin for making a public statement about taking a leave of absence, I personally think that making the statement through his “management” company is taking the easy way out. I take offense when there are celebrities/athletes that have no problem breaking the law on their own, but have to go through their management/pr agencies to make a statement. Oh, and if they do make a public appearance, it’s never their in the own words. Nine times out of ten, it’s written by someone else from their management/pr agency. You never see their true emotions.
Dustin Johnson wasn’t the only athlete in the headlines recently involving a crime. Let’s look at Baltimore Ravens Running Back, Ray Rice. He was caught on video dragging out this then fiancee, now wife, out of an elevator who had been knocked out because he punched her during an argument. And as much as I was disgusted by his actions, Rice’s press conference was as natural as it gets. There was no speech in his hands, he spoke from the heart. You could tell while as he was talking, the more he realized that this incident was going to mess up his life for quite some time.
If this truly was the reason for Dustin to take an indefinite leave, I hope he does it correctly. He is one of the top players on the PGA Tour and has so much going for him. And I’m talking more than just his fiancee, Paulina Gretzky. The guy is known for being one the best Long-Bombers out there on the course including 8 PGA tour wins. He doesn’t has his name associated with any Major championship, but has come close several times. If this leave helps him find his clarity, I hope it will clear his path to a Major victory. I’ve see him play live, several times, and I know he has what it takes to be one of the best players out there on tour; Top 5 worthy for sure.
–== History of Drug Testing on the PGA Tour ==–
Dustin’s supposed troubles remind me of the story of PGA Tour Player Robert Garrigus. A long-bomber just like Dustin, who was heading down a dark path with drugs but bounced back out of it to become one of the premiere players on Tour. And who can forget the trials and tribulations of John Daly. He had to take several “voluntary” leaves from the PGA Tour, but most notably in 2008 when he actually admitted he had been suspended because of his actions. Since then Daly has been able to turn his life around and still remains one of the more popular players on tour. I hope DJ, again if all of this is true, reaches out to players such as Garrigus and Daly for help.
The emotions I am feeling at this point in time are a result from stories/rumors released by undisclosed sources. I don’t like to add wood to the fire until everything is truly released by the appropriate sources; this being the PGA Tour and Dustin Johnson. I respect PGA Tour’s policy on player privacy, but I feel that Dustin should man up and confess everything that has happened, IF it has actually happened. I truly hope that this doesn’t unfold for Dustin the way it did for Tiger. I don’t think either DJ and the PGA Tour want to relive 2009-2010 again. DJ, do the right thing. I’m proud of you for at least making the right steps, but you’ll be more of a man if you come clean. Even if these reports are all just rumors, get out there and set the record straight. You know what you have to do.
